TV to See: Primetime Game Show Roundup

Once upon a time, “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” were major entertainment staples in every household. Game shows continue to be extremely popular, but they’ve gotten a lot more creative—especially during primetime. Get a glimpse of some of the innovative programming that will be gracing your set on summer evenings.

It often seems like celebrities know some secret key to getting famous, but on “Million Dollar Password,” they’ve got to know the secret key to communicating with their partners. On the show, celebs team up with lay folk to try and convey a secret password without words. If they can, they have the chance to win up to—yes, you guessed it—a million dollars.

On “Celebrity Family Feud,” some celebrities are bringing along their actual relatives, others will be bringing along their TV “family.” The summer lineup includes Team Office, Team My Name is Earl, Team Ice-T and Team Gifford. (Yes, Kathy Lee Gifford.)

To win “Moment of Truth,” all you have to do in answer 21 questions about yourself. Sounds simple, right? Not quite. The questions are actually all extremely personal, and things you probably wouldn’t want your family, your friends or your boss to know. Your on-camera answers will also be matched to ones you gave previously when hooked up to a lie detector, so don’t try to get away with anything, especially your pride or dignity.

“Moment of Truth” is embarrassing because you know the answers to the questions, and they might prove the undoing of your most important relationships. “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader” is embarrassing because you might not know the answers—but some 10-year-old does.

Slapstick lovers will revel in ABC’s “Wipeout and “I Survived a Japanese Game Show.” Inspired by Japanese game shows, both are semiridiculous and mostly hilarious. According to an ABC press release, “Wipeout” offers “Human cannonballs! Human pinballs! Crashes, smashes and mud splashes!” In “I Survived a Japanese Game Show,” 10 Americans find themselves in front of a Japanese studio audience, participating in competitions drawn from real Japanese game shows.

“I Survived a Japanese Game Show” is more reality TV than actual game show, but who cares? How can you not laugh at a game called “Chicken Butt Scramble”? Yes. Contestants will be crushing eggs with the rear portion of their anatomy. They’ll also be pretending to be bugs smashed against a windscreen, and racing along a conveyor belt while covered in rice flour.

“Wipeout,” although filmed on American soil, also uses the embarrassing challenges common to Japanese game shows for a template. Every week, 24 contestants struggle to make it through a series of physically taxing and giggle-inducing obstacle courses to win $50,000.